In the western world Hatha Yoga is what most people associate with the word Yoga. It is a 5000 year old mind / body exercise from India. It is the most common form of Yoga in the west today. In the 2005 Yoga in America survey, conducted by the Yoga Journal, it showed that 16.5 million people practice Yoga in the USA today.
In Hatha Yoga we aim to achieve balance or union between the mind and the body, and to free subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses, or asanas, breathing techniques, or pranayama, and meditation.
Many popular styles of yoga comes out of the Hatha yoga tradition such as Iyengar, Ashtanga, Power, Anusara, and Kundalini.
Many yoga styles refer to the 8 limbs of yoga by the sage Patanjali. The eight limbs are looked upon as eight levels or steps of progress, each level providing benefits in and of itself, and also laying the foundation for the higher levels. Starting with the yama and niyama which are ethical obligations, asanas which are physical postures, pranayama which is breath control, pratyahare which is sense withdrawal, dharana which is concentration, dhyana which is meditation and Samadhi which is the experience of self realization or enlightenment.
- Asanas are a system of body positions designed to improve health and remove diseases in the physical and mental bodies. The postures were intuited by yogis during meditation. Regular practice of asanas will increase flexibility and strength, as well as develop willpower, concentration, and increase self awareness.
- Pranayama is derived from the words prana ( life force or energy source) and ayama ( to control). It is the science of breath control. It is an important part in our quest of practicing Hatha Yoga. The old yogis believed that the secret to calming ones mind can be found ín breath awareness.
The practice of Hatha Yoga can help you to reqognize hidden mental and physical potentials, and teach you to be more relaxed in stressful situations. Another part of our practice is guided and self guided relaxation exercises to help you to become more aware of energy blockages in your body, and in learning how to unblock such restrictions. Asanas also massage and tone your internal organs, and thereby can help in preventing diseases such as diabetes, arthritis and hypertension just to name a few. They also can bring balance to internal and glandular functions. Pranayama can help in managing asthma and chronic bronchitis. Hatha Yoga can also help you cope with stress, anxiety and depression.
- Meditation is the next step in our Hatha Yoga practice. Regular practice of pranayama and asanas will help to prepare us for a seated meditation practice. Meditation is the science pf sitting still and observing your breath. This will calm your mind and prepare the yogi for the search of self realization.
My teaching style is eclectic with influences from Anusara Yoga with John Friend and Doug Keller, Iyengar and Power Yoga with Rodney Yee, and Freedom Yoga with Erich Schiffman. I have learned from all these great yoga masters and from many other teachers, and I incorporate some of all their teachings into my style of teaching yoga.
I have studied Yoga and Meditation since the early 1990`s and have been a certified Yoga teacher since 1996. I have studied Zen meditation with Dr Ben Wren, a former professor at Loyola University in New Orleans since 1995.
My yoga classes include some flow (Vinyasa ) with the use of sun salutations to warm up the body and get ready for traditional Hatha Yoga poses. I pay much attention to having safe and stable alignments in the poses, so that students will not hurt themselves, and can feel the energy flow in their bodies during asana practice.
Pranayama and breath awareness plays a key role in my yoga classes, so that students can more fully experience the mind-body connection. Meditation and relaxation techniques always ends my classes, so that students have the chance to get into the yoga zone.
Locally I teach an all level class at Rhodes Club Fitness in the Hardy court shopping center (Across from Big Lots and Choice) in Gulfport, MS. The class is being held at 7:00-8:30 PM every Wednesday. The cost is 60 dollars for six weeks. You do not have to be a member at Rhodes to join our class. Yoga props and loaner mats are available. Dress in comfortable clothing that you can stretch in. You do not have to be flexible to take this class, but it helps if you are used to some form of exercise on a regular basis, even just walking.
I am also available for weekend Yoga workshops and corporate Yoga classes by request. The fee for corporate yoga is 100 dollars per class with a small additional charge for classes over 10 people. I customize my workshops and corporate yoga classes to your groups specific needs.
Corporate clients include: Coldwell Banker Alfonso Realty, Kelly Baker CPA, Nicholson Law firm and Halter Marine.
Namaste`
Sources: Wikipedia
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